The six-speed manual transmission was an eye-opener. It awakened the 2-liter four-cylinder dramatically. / Mazda

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

HELL, Mich. -- It's a real place, and it's where jurors who vote on the North American Car and Truck of the Year gather each fall for final wheel time in cars they've driven, fresh time in ones they haven't.

It's the perfect opportunity for the arrested-development types among otherwise high-minded auto scribes to get a dirty word into print, legitimately. Who could resist?

Sited at the Forbidden Wheels motorcycle club on a corner of the Hell Creek Ranch, the event features the year's array of new or significantly updated vehicles vying for the annual North American Car and Truck of the Year awards announced at the Detroit auto show in January.

The Hell drive - all those nifty new models - starts a craving for the perfect blend of attributes, some from this car, some from that one, a few in the one over there.

In this case, the compact 2014 Mazda3, a full-scale redesign, on sale since September, has you wishing for a mix that would include the Mazda's own exceptional steering and brakes, the redesigned Toyota Corolla's general roominess and interior serenity and Ford Focus' outstanding chassis. Even though good handling is part of Mazda's "zoom-zoom" schtick, the Focus is nonpareil among mainstream compacts.

But never mind, you quickly decide that Mazda3's about right as-is. At least for the warm-blooded, elevated-pulse folk the brand targets, and perhaps quite a few others.

It's available as a four-door sedan and a "five-door" hatchback. Interestingly, the hatchback is about 5 inches shorter than the sedan. Otherwise they're the same.

Models with the 2-liter engine are designated "i" and those with the optional 2.5-liter are "s."

The Mazdas driven here were a 2-liter, four-door Grand Touring sedan ($25,085) and a 2.5-liter Grand Touring hatchback ($29,185), both with six-speed automatics.

A 2-liter Grand Touring sedan with six-speed manual ($24,035) was tested back home in Northern Virginia suburbs.

The drawbacks we see are:

Road noise. Tires on test cars here sent up an awful racket on the coarsest local roads, even though other vehicles didn't. Nor did the Mazda3 tested in Virginia.

Seems obviously road-related, but your path won't always be well-paved, so it's useful to caution about the tire noise.

Tight back seat. Illogical. The car's bigger for 2014. The wheelbase - distance between front and back wheels, which dictates how much leg and knee room is available - grew 3 inches. But Mazda lists 0.4 of an inch less rear legroom in the new one. And it feels tighter than that.

Front visibility. It'll depend a bit on where you position the front seat, but for many drivers, the windshield pillar, called the A pillar, can block your view of pedestrians and cars angling from the side.

But the good things are quite enriching.

The six-speed manual on the Virginia car awakened the 2-liter four-cylinder dramatically. That's the same engine that's marginal in the CX-5 small SUV and, when hooked to an automatic in the 3, is willing but unexciting.

The 2.5-liter is to get a manual next year.

What makes it a good manual? Smooth, quick shift mechanism with enough mechanical feel to let you know you're not operating a wimpy electronic selector. A clutch that doesn't require an artist to operate smoothly. Pedal positioning that lets you sit far enough from the steering wheel and still hit the floor with the clutch pedal when shifting.

Mazda says 12% to 15% of 2-liter buyers will choose the manual, and 15% to 20% of 2.5-liter buyers will opt for a stick shift.

Typically, just 3% to 7% of compact buyers ask for a manual on other brands.

Chassis tuning blends responsive, firm-feeling brakes, snappy handling that makes you seek "S" corners and tempts you to take them faster than you probably should, and excellent steering. It is responsive without being twitchy, and holds straight-ahead without constant little steering motions.

You pay for the crisp cornering with a ride that's bumpier than on, say, a Sentra or Corolla.

Interior layout and comfort are exceptional. The console-mounted infotainment joystick control on the Grand Touring test models wasn't the easiest to use, however.

The navigation/backup-camera/everything-else screen is big and stands tall rather than being sunk into the dashboard, same as in a Mercedes-Benz CLA. It's easy to read. But it'll look like an aftermarket add-on to some folks.

The new Mazda3's good mpg, well-tuned chassis, and some upmarket interior touches should broaden the car's appeal outside Mazda-loyal driving enthusiasts, without disappointing that group.